Focusing on the man rather than the cultural icon, and including interviews with Che Guevara's family and those who knew him intimately, this accessible biography shows how an idealistic medical student became an inspirational revolutionary leader. Lucía Álvarez de Toledo comes from the same social milieu as Che; born and raised in Buenos Aires, she was in school while he attended university, and then as a journalist she closely followed his meteoric political rise. She is able to put him into the social context of his time, dispelling numerous misconceptions and revealing aspects of his life that have been overlooked.

"There are many books on Che, but writing as an Argentine, and a woman, Lucía Álvarez de Toledo brings a valuable new perspective to the story.... Her personal recollections of the times and places Che moved through and her journalist's eye for the telling anecdote bring to life his unique story from a truly Latin American perspective."—Simon Reid-Henry